1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to tactile enhancement mechanisms for closure mechanisms of resealable pouches.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Resealable pouches in the form of thermoplastic bags with elongate closure mechanisms have been developed of a type that includes one or more sets of closure mechanisms, such as interlocking closure profiles, for maintaining the pouch in a sealed condition. In some pouches, these closure profiles may be difficult for a user to locate and/or operate such that the pouch cannot be occluded properly because the user is unable to visually see the closure profiles and/or is unable to easily feel the location of the closure profiles. In such cases, incomplete occlusion does not allow the pouch to be sealed properly and the contents of the pouch may escape or spoil.
Various attempts have been made to help users locate and properly occlude closure profiles. For example, one design provides a reclosable bag having front and rear walls and a single pair of mutually interlocking opposing rib and groove closure elements disposed across a mouth of the bag. Outer surfaces of the walls are roughened coextensive with and over the rib and groove elements by a series of vertical ridges with vertical valleys therebetween to facilitate a user's application of tangential force to open the closure elements.
Another design provides a reclosable bag having alignment ribs disposed on opposite sides of a male interlocking profile on an interior side of a first bag wall. Outer ridge beams coextensive with a central stabilizing ridge are extruded on the first bag wall exterior surface opposite the alignment ribs and the male interlocking profile, respectively.
A further design provides a reclosable bag having front and rear walls and nested inner and outer closure mechanisms disposed on interior surfaces of the walls. A pair of parallel spaced apart ribs is disposed on an external surface of the front wall and is aligned with legs of an outer female interlocking member. Another pair of parallel ribs is disposed on an external surface of the rear wall spaced on opposite sides of an inner female interlocking member.
Yet another design provides a reclosable bag having opposing walls and a single pair of mutually interlocking opposing rib and groove closure elements disposed across an interior of a mouth of the bag. Backing areas made of material that is dissimilar to the closure elements are provided on the bag walls in alignment with the closure elements on exterior surfaces of the opposing bag walls or between the closure elements and the bag walls. The dissimilar material of the backing areas provides a noticeable tactile feel for a user in regard to other areas of the bag in order to help the user feel the location of the closure elements.
Many designs found in the art include a guiding mechanism disposed directly opposite the closure profile such that a ridge is located on a back side of the closure profile and a user is able to position his or her fingers on the ridge to help guide occlusion. A problem with such designs however is that a user's finger may slide off of the ridge of material, which may cause uneven or incomplete occlusion along an entire length of the opening into the bag, thereby forming an incomplete seal across the opening.
To further improve upon a user's ability to open and close such resealable pouches, several mechanisms have also been developed to effectively grip the panels at the opening of the pouches and/or near the closure profile. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,651,271 to Withers discloses a reclosable bag with closure means consisting of a rib that engages a groove to selectively seal the bag. Shallow ribs are formed by extrusion on the internal surfaces to allow secure gripping of the bag panels. Two parallel spaced pairs of strengthening ribs are also extruded along both sides of the closure means to bear some of the forces applied to the sealing means to minimize breaking of the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,574 to Tilman discloses a reclosable bag with male and female profiles on internal surfaces of the bag walls to create a zipper. Pairs of ribs are on each side of the profiles, respectively. The rib pairs form valleys that are sized and shaped to act as finger guides. A plurality of gripping ribs 36, 38 are formed on external surfaces of the walls. The ribs are offset with respect to each other and angled towards the profiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,831 to Mazzocchi discloses a flexible bag with gripper ridges. Each gripper ridge has opposing first and second walls that are normal to the bag wall. The first wall is longer than the second wall such that the end surface extending therebetween is angled and forms a gripping end or point.